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New Orleans Mayor Fumes Over Slow Response
AP | 9/2/05 | Jarhead1957

Posted on 09/02/2005 6:53:26 AM PDT by Jarhead1957

New Orleans Mayor Fumes Over Slow Reponse

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, left, Councilman Oliver Thomas and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco speak during a news conference about Hurricane Katrina, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2005. Residents of low-lying coastal communities were told Saturday to pack up and head for higher ground before Hurricane Katrina strengthens and takes a ``possible direct hit'' on southeast Louisiana. (AP Photo/Cheryl Gerber)

A day before President Bush headed to the hurricane-ravaged South, Mayor Ray Nagin lashed out at federal officials, telling a local radio station "they don't have a clue what's going on down here."

Federal officials expressed sympathy but quickly defended themselves, saying they, too, were overwhelmed by the catastrophe that hit the Gulf Coast region on Monday.

Nagin's interview Thursday night on WWL radio came as President Bush planned to visit Gulf Coast communities battered by Hurricane Katrina, a visit aimed at alleviating criticism that he engineered a too-little, too-late response.

Bush viewed the damage while flying over the region Wednesday en route to Washington after cutting short his Texas vacation by two days.

"They flew down here one time two days after the doggone event was over with TV cameras, AP reporters, all kind of goddamn excuse my French everybody in America, but I am pissed," Nagin said.

Nagin said he told Bush in a recent conversation that "we had an incredible crisis here and that his flying over in Air Force One does not do it justice ... I have been all around this city and that I am very frustrated because we are not able to marshal resources and we are outmanned in just about every respect."

In an interview Friday on NBC's "Today," Federal Emergency Management Agency director Michael Brown stood behind the massive federal relief effort that's under way.

"I understand the mayor's frustration. ... We have been having a continuous flow of commodities into the Superdome, there were five trucks arriving last night to feed well over 50,000 people.

"We're also diverting supplies to the convention center which I learned about yesterday and that area. ... This is an absolutely catastrophic disaster," he said.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco, who like Nagin is a Democrat, was less confrontational than the mayor.

"When the system goes down, this is pretty much what you get," she said on CBS' "The Early Show." "We don't get into the blame game. We just work with what we got."


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; US: Louisiana
KEYWORDS: katrina; mayor; msm; nagin; neworleans; relief
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

Really?!

I truly didn't know that.

Where did you hear that the DNC told Chiles not to accept the aid?

Bush should have gotten on TV when the accusations started flying about him being too slow and said "Well, perhaps you'll want to ask Gov Chiles about why he turned down my offer of immediate aid".

That's the problem that the GOP has - and will continue to have. We don't understand (nor does it seem that we want to understand) that politics can be cut-throat.

In an environment of throat-cutters, you'd better be armed with a knife - or better. Bush has got to get out ahead of this as much as he possibly can.


81 posted on 09/02/2005 8:10:21 AM PDT by MplsSteve
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To: An.American.Expatriate
Image hosted by Photobucket.comAbsolutely!!!

then minute President Bush told NOLA to EVACUATE(and they didn't) the MAYOR should of made sure that ALL the buses were FULL OF FUEL, then when the Governor said to leave(and they didn't) he should of had them all prepositioned and facing OUT of the city so when HE FINALLY knew he screwed up... make the call for them to load up and head out. drive to the County/State FairGrounds / RaceTracks to the north/west and set up TENT CITY!!!

82 posted on 09/02/2005 8:21:49 AM PDT by Chode (American Hedonist ©®)
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To: Jarhead1957

Why didn't he take all the school buses in New Orleans last Friday and load them up and get people out of the city?

He is incompetent!


83 posted on 09/02/2005 8:23:49 AM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Jarhead1957
From another thread:

Meanwhile, these school busses in NO which lie ruined by the flood waters, could have been used by the Mayor to get people out of the city BEFORE the hurricane hit.


84 posted on 09/02/2005 8:27:38 AM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: justa-hairyape
"At one of the worse possible times in history, they are inciting race war."

That's just insane. I heard the congressional Black Congress insinuate that people aren't getting help because of racism. Unbelievable.

PEOPLE ARE NOT GETTING HELP BECAUSE THE LOCAL OFFICIALS MADE NO PLANS TO HELP THEM BEFORE THE STORM HIT. New Orleans HAS ALWAYS BEEN A DISASTER LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO HAPPEN- THEY SHOULD HAVE HAD PLANS IN PLACE. Also- the damage area is 90,000 square miles.

Tell you what: If they keep this up, blaming Bush , stirring up anger , insinuating that people are racists, because help hasn't been able to get to everyone who needs it, while Americans are seeing that the rescue workers are being shot at, even when they try to rescue those in hospitals,- it's possible that it will have a chilling effect on donations for help.

What they are doing- attempting to divide the country, playing the race card, during this catastrophe- is absolutely CRIMINAL. It is hurting the people WHO NEED THE MOST HELP.

85 posted on 09/02/2005 8:29:09 AM PDT by Pajamajan ("Where there's life, there's hope-" Terri Schindler's message to the world-never forget)
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To: ErnBatavia

Well, while a speaker of the Black Caucus was on TV complaining about everything .... the other side of the screen was showing the convoys pouring into the city along with Fire Trucks all the way from Los Angeles. School buses, Trucks, Semi Trucks with boats, cars and those big air conditioned tour buses as well. Positive help but guess people would rather complain.


86 posted on 09/02/2005 8:49:04 AM PDT by cubreporter (I trust Rush. He has done more for our country than anyone can ever imagine. He is solid as a rock)
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To: Constantine XIII

It's beyond the pale. Just beyond the pale.


87 posted on 09/02/2005 8:49:28 AM PDT by cubreporter (I trust Rush. He has done more for our country than anyone can ever imagine. He is solid as a rock)
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To: dfwgator

No it is not and the attackers on all sides including the dopes in the media are contributing to it big time.


88 posted on 09/02/2005 8:52:11 AM PDT by cubreporter (I trust Rush. He has done more for our country than anyone can ever imagine. He is solid as a rock)
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To: Jarhead1957
listening to Jezze Jackzon on Lib radio (AirAmerika) interview this morning. Paraphrasing

.... "we gots no helicopter power droppin' food to the starvin' peoples, cuz Bush has dim all in Iraq. .....blah, blah,........Bush makes his father and Clinton the OVERSEERERS of the fundraising, but we needs some BLACK voice on the committee to represent our peoples"....... He goes on to rattle off various Afro-American Congressmen in Miss. and Ala. and Louisiana.

I am suspect of his race-baiting with the word "Overseerers".

This is Ole Southern Plantation Lingo designed to stir-the-pot-to-boil.

89 posted on 09/02/2005 8:55:09 AM PDT by OrangeBlossomSpecial
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To: cubreporter

I was watching...only FOX had the split screen though. The other two cable channels devoted full screen to his venomous spew.


90 posted on 09/02/2005 8:55:32 AM PDT by ErnBatavia (Cindy, ya shoulda stuck with "offshore drilling" as your cause)
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To: ErnBatavia

Exactly.


91 posted on 09/02/2005 8:56:11 AM PDT by cubreporter (I trust Rush. He has done more for our country than anyone can ever imagine. He is solid as a rock)
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To: Jarhead1957
I lived in Miami for many years, although never during a direct hit. Here's what Mayor McSwine didn't do:
1) Declare a mandatory evacuation EARLIER, not when Katrina went to Cat 5.
2) Provide transportation for citizens without cars/transport (see buses below)
3) Set up a command center to coordinate the evacuation
4) Open ALL highway lanes out of the city
5) Stock evacuation centers
6) Prepare for levee repair

Was he unaware that his city was below sea level on the Gulf?
If ANY of these had been done (the way they're done in FL) then the disaster would have been mitigated if not averted. The mayor of NO and governor of LA should be held up as examples of how incompetent government costs lives.
92 posted on 09/02/2005 9:16:05 AM PDT by FiatLux
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To: Jarhead1957

No it won't. People dont like piling on. People know Bush is doing all he can do here and that no one is perfect. Bush has been good so far and will get better. He is the main in crisis situations. Believe me, Bush will come out looking like a star. He is a modern day Harry Truman -- easy to rip on, but will historically be recognized as one of our top presidents.


93 posted on 09/02/2005 9:18:25 AM PDT by RightMike
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To: BallyBill

NY = Giuliani

New Orleans = . . . uh, what was that guy's name again?


94 posted on 09/02/2005 9:35:06 AM PDT by cyn (it's sarcasm, but jim king really said it.)
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To: RightMike
Hey, I think he is doing everything possible. I posted to show what AP was saying.

It is hard to hear the truth for all the Liberal BS.

Have you heard that Bush caused the great depression? I'm sure it's coming.

95 posted on 09/02/2005 9:37:20 AM PDT by Jarhead1957 (Semper Fi)
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To: Jarhead1957

I know, i'm just so sick of all the politics here. I am not a fan of the mayor there but i understand him being angry as his city is in ruins. i dont like us beating up on blanco or the dems beating up on bush. i though tfor a second that maybe this country could unify again but too many people are making race and politics out of it.

freaking ridiuclous.

i pray for bush everyday. 9-11. shuttle disaster. iraq. now this.

amazing...


96 posted on 09/02/2005 9:40:18 AM PDT by RightMike
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To: Jarhead1957

Wow. Both doom and gloom. You've got the complete set there, doncha?


97 posted on 09/02/2005 9:41:12 AM PDT by AmishDude (Join the AmishDude fan club: "ROFLOL!" -- tuliptree76)
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To: RightMike

I hate the politics, but the Rats decided they were going to try to make political hay out of this, by linking it to Iraq, Global Warming....etc. They forced our hand.


98 posted on 09/02/2005 9:41:49 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: ErnBatavia
Speaking of venemous spew, I listened to the president on Fox, then changed over to CNN. lol, after snipping that it was "about time", they scolded the president for wasting valuable time being briefed and thanking the rescuers.

No wonder it's so hard to find the 800 # for CNN, castigating nasty nattering nabobs of negativism that they are.

99 posted on 09/02/2005 9:47:24 AM PDT by cyn (it's sarcasm, but jim king really said it.)
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To: Jarhead1957

More like the decline of the Mayor, thus the squealing.


100 posted on 09/02/2005 10:02:22 AM PDT by bkepley
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